Furnace.



W. P. BROWN.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25. 191s.

Patenfed Qct. 17,1916.

WILLIAM P. BROWN, OF LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA.

FURNACE.

Specification of Iletters Patent.

Application filed January 25, 1915. Serial No. 4,223.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. BROWN, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at the city of London, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in furnaces, of all descriptions, and the object is to provide means for burning certain of the products of combustion which usually escape in the form of flue gases.

A further object is to provide means for supplying additional oxygen to the fire for the purpose of preventing in some measure the escape of combustible gases to a region beyond the fire.

It is well known that in the combustion of fuel, the two principal gases formed are carbon monoxid and carbon dioxid, the former of which is readily combinable with oxygen, that is to say, combustible, while the latter is not combinable with oxygen and is therefore incombustible, and furthermore, cannot by any ordinary means be decomposed to yield a combustible gas. The monoxid is a lighter gas than the dioxid, and therefore readily separates from the dioxid.

With these facts in mind, the device forming the subject of this invention has been I produced, and comprises essentially means for separating the carbon monoxid and carbon dioxid in a furnace and collecting the monoxid, which is then discharged with suificient oxygen for combustion into the zone of incandescent gases immediately above the fire, so that combination of the monoxid and oxygen takes place with an evolution of heat. The same means ,may be proportioned to discharge into the fire considerable oxygen in excess of that required to consume the collected monoxid, so that combustion of the fuel is carried on more perfectly than usual and the production of carbon monoxid in a measure prevented.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention, and show its application to a hot air furnace :Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 2 is a plan view with the casing in section. v p

Before proceeding with the detailed description of this particular application, it must be pointed out that the hot air fornace has been selected for illustration for the reason, firstly', that it is very well known,

and secondly, that its construction is such that the invention may be applied without changes to the furnace itself, such as would be necessary with many other types of furnace. It must, however, be understood that the invention is in no waylimited to this particular type of furnace, as it may be applied equally well to practically all other types, when the necessary changes, which cannot all be contemplated in advance, have been made in the furnace structure.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a fire pot in which the fuel is placed for combustion, 12 a dome or combustion chamber above the fire pot, having its top 13 concave on the surface adjacent the fire. The combustion chamber or dome 12 is surrounded by an annular radiator 14, into which the products of combustion from the dome discharge through flues 15. A direct draft flue 16 is provided leading from the dome, and an indirect draft flue 17 is provided leading from the radiator into the direct draft fine, on the opposite side of a damper 18 from the dome. The indirect draft flue has a separate damper 19. The whole structure is surrounded by a casing 20 within which air is circulated to be heated. This structure is all well known and has been selected as an illustration of the application of the present invention, for the reason that the ample combustion chamber forms an admirable means for separating carbon monoxid and carbon dioxid, when combined with the indirect draft, ordinarily maintained through the radiator. Other types offurnaces do not possess a large unobstructed chamber for the separation of gases, and are all, with the exception of the cook stove, of direct draft construction. It will, therefore, be

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1916.

seen that to illustrate the application of this invention to such furnaces, would entail description and illustration of numerous furnace modifications, which are really irrelevant to the present matter.

A manifold 21 is provided leading from the highest point of the dome 12, and serving for the connection of a plurality of pipes 22 which extend a suitable distance down the side wall of the dome externally thereof. A suitablelength of thelower ends of each pipe 22 is incased in a larger pipe 23, the lower end ,of which discharges into the bottom of the dome or top of the fire pot, according to the construction of the furnace.

The upper end of the pipe 23 is provided with a branch 24, which leads directly to the open air, being provided with a strainer or grate 25 to prevent theentrance of foreign objects. It will be noted in the drawings, and is an essential feature, that the pipe 24 or continuation of the pipe 23 be so formed that gases will flow through the pipe 23 in the same direction as gases issuing at the mouth of the pipe 22.

The operation of the device is in substance as follows :-The dome 12 forms a gas receiver in which the light carbon monoxid stratifies above the heavier carbon dioxid. The monoxid is thus collected and is drawn off through the manifold 21 and pipes 22,

while the incombustible dioxid' normally passes through the fiues 15 into the radiator 14, so that the greatest possible amount of heat may be extracted from the same before it is permitted to escape from the furnace. The uprush of gas from the fire past the mouths of the pipes 23 creates a certain induced draft in these pipes, which draws air down through the pipes into the zone of combustion. This fiow of air draws the carbon monoxid down through the pipes 22 to mingle with the air in the pipes 23 and be discharged into the zone of combustion. The flowof monoxid is of course assisted by the upward pressure of gases rising from the fire. It will thus beseen that the carbon monoxid is returned with sufiicient oxygen for its combustion into the zone of combustion, where it combines with the oxygen producing an evolution of considerable heat. The air flues 23 are preferably proportioned to carry considerably more oxygen than is required for the combustion of the monoxid, so that as much as possible of the monoxid produced in the fire for lack of sufficient provide for the more perfect combustion of the fuel itself, by combining with the minute particles of carbon which are usually carried off in an atmosphere of carbon dioxid, and give to the same the characteristic colors of smoke.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a furnace, a gas collector, a main flue leading therefrom, a radiator, a connection between said radiator and said fine, means for separating the lighter combustible gases from the heavier incombustible gases comprising pipes for conducting the heavier incombustible gases into said -radiator and air receiving conduits for returning the lighter combustible gases to the zone of combustion.

2. In a furnace having a tire box, a gas collector, a mainline leading therefrom below the top of said collector, a radiator, a connection between said radiator and said flue, means for separating the lighter combustible gases from the heavier incombustible gases comprising pipes for conducting the heavier incombustible gases into said radiator and air receiving conduits connecting the top of said collector with said fire box for returning the lighter combustible gases to the zone of combustion.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in thepresence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM P. BROWN.v Witnesses BERNARD M. BERKOWITZ, T. V. MARTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

